COMMON SENSE

COMMON SENSE CAN NOT BE LEGISLATED

Common sense is an expression that historically means basing one’s actions on sound judgment and/or conventional wisdom. Using our common sense one would not attempt to pet a snarling dog nor exit a bus while it was still moving. Unfortunately, more and more of our fellow citizens either lack or fail to exercise common sense in many situations. The result of this failure to either have or exercise common sense is legislation. However; a law can not take the place of common sense. People can still be counted on to act carelessly, negligently or even stupidly with or without benefit of a law.

Some current examples of the absence of common sense, in spite of clear and present danger, is the failure of some counties to recognize the immediate danger of fireworks. Presently there are almost 1000 wild fires burning throughout the state of California. Homeowners are exercising caution even in the use of weed whackers less they accidentally spark a fire. Exercising even a minimum level of common sense one would expect all counties throughout the state to ban the private use of fireworks; but that is not to be. Tradition and economics will prevail.

On California’s overcrowded roads it is common knowledge that bicyclists and car drivers do not always “share the road”. Avoiding finger pointing and placing blame at this time, suffice it to say that in far too many situations cars and bikes are like vinegar and water --- they do not mix well. Most of the time motorists can expect bicyclists to obey the rules of the road. Stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings are in place for everyone’s safety. However; bureaucrats are now considering modifying the rules. Bicyclists would be allowed to roll through stop signs, treating them as if they were yield signs and treating red lights as if they were stop signs, allowing them to stop and go even if the light was still red. What happened to common sense?

Today the Supreme Court ruled against the city of Washington, D.C. law banning the ownership of handguns. Even though Washington, like many other U.S. cities is becoming more and more like Dodge City or Tombstone of the old west, towns which did actually have strict gun laws, you can not legislate common sense. A law banning or controlling guns will be obeyed by the law abiding and ignored all others. The criminal element will still be armed! If cities want to become safer then the criminal element must be removed. In today’s political climate with emphasis on and individual’s rights and not responsibility, over crowded prisons resulting in early release, the ease by which the criminal element can obtain weapons and the inability of the police and prosecutors to be effective, the Supreme Court’s decision should come as no surprise. You can not legislate common sense into a society; nor can you easily legislate it out of a society.

The Irony of it All

One Friday during second semester, just before the start of the first period, I watched one of our counselors, directing a group of students and a teacher from Irvington High School, to Mr. Sach’s social studies class. I laughed to myself at the irony of this scene because this counselor is the transition counselor for Walters’ 8^th graders who will be going to Kennedy High School and there she was assisting the Irvington head hunters.

Now I have had the rationale for this visit explained to me. The visit was FUSD Board approved. The Irvington scouts would be visiting all the junior high schools. And, yes they are limited to accepting only 20 Walters’ students. I also know that the Irvington teacher stated that they accepted 75 Walters’ students into their freshman class last year. And when asked if one had to stay involved in the “Arts” after the freshman year he admitted that no one really checked.

There was really no need to disrupt our social studies classes for this farce. No doubt, considerably more than 20 of our students will apply for acceptance into Irvington’s freshman class. The question remains will that number increase by considering extenuating circumstances like: sibling attendance, distance factor or FUSD board meddling?

Earlier this month the FUSD Board of Education, in an obvious display of preferential treatment for one of its own, declared Centerville Junior High School an open school, ready willing and able to accept transfer students from the other junior high schools. Now if this was done to ease the crowded conditions at Horner, Thornton and Hopkins, it could be viewed as appropriate; but under populated Walters was also included. Walters was included because this would allow for a specific student transfer that had previously been denied. More than likely Centerville, following the practice established by Irvington, will probably attempt to actively recruit from the Walters student body.Will we soon find recruitment flyers in our message boxes? No doubt Centerville will want to visit the Walters campus to drum up interest in their school as the alternative school to attend.

It seems the concept of “equity” is rather hollow and meaningless in this district. Irvington’s past and present recruiting actions hurt Kennedy High School and that damage trickles down to Walters. If 75 of our best and brightest were skimmed off the freshman class of Kennedy to attend Irvington using the ruse of participation in the Arts & Performance Magnet School Program, Kennedy’s loss is our loss. Those 75 students took their academic excellence, serious study skills and highly proficient test scores to Irvington not Kennedy. As a result Kennedy looks bad and to some extent so does Walters.

Involved parents, not wanting their 6^th graders to eventually attend Kennedy High School (for whatever reasons), may opt to place their children at Centerville hoping that attendance at Centerville may lead to admission to Washington High School. Another incidence of Board meddling and this could happen. Walters has already endured the loss of the Ardenwood students and we may see a significant number of our Mattos students opting for Centerville. Keep in mind that these two schools are in established residential neighborhoods with parents who have high expectations and whose children meet those expectations. Like the loss of Ardenwood students, the loss of Mattos students will have a negative impact on our “numbers”, school climate and test scores.

Finally, the possible loss of students from Walters will also mean the loss of sections and the resulting loss of staff. One can only wonder what the future holds for Walters and this attendance area. Just how low can our population drop before we become unnecessary as a junior high school? Will Walters become the first middle school when the remaining 6^th graders in this attendance area are assigned to our campus? As California copes with an ever growing budget deficit and this district has to cope with the resulting loss of funds, where will the cuts, closings and lay-offs occur?

I have always felt that FUSD is a unified school district in name only. It seems that each attendance area looks out for its own interests and only its own interests. It may be time for Walters to take off the gloves and play as cut throat as the other attendance areas and even the Board. The district in its wisdom once considered closing and selling off both the Kennedy and Walters sites. With future Board member changes and the gloomy financial climate will this plan be re-visited?

The irony is Walters is the largest campus, has survived two rounds of modernization, has well maintained buildings, hard working administrators, dedicated and skilled teachers and an ever increasing population of students who need “more” and yet; always seem to receive “less” from the district. The 2008-2009 school year should certainly prove to be an ( ) <--- insert your word or words here …. school year.

Culturally Relevant Instruction

CULTURALLY RELEVANT INSTRUCTION

While driving home the other day I heard a news report on State Superintendent of Education, Jack O’Connell’s, State of Education Address of January 22, 2008. One phrase piqued my interest: “culturally relevant instruction”. Being one who has decided, for several reasons, not to pursue CLAD certification I figured this was a CLAD spin phrase of which I was ignorant. I located the Superintendent’s address at:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/yr08stateofed.asp and gave it quick read. Here is what Mr. O’Connell had to say about culturally relevant instruction: (bold face added by this writer)

“Clearly, it is time to move past the discomfort of talking about culture and race. It's time to move past the harmful illusion that we live in a color-blind society. Whether we know it or not, an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.

Our schools cannot create a climate that is supportive of all students unless they first understand the perceptions, impressions, beliefs, and expectations of a school's students, teachers, and staff.

We are all, to some extent, trapped in the perspectives, assumptions, and experiences of our own culture. We conduct our relationships and build our institutions on the basis of those perspectives, assumptions, and experiences. If we expect all our students to learn to their full capacity, we must make them feel safe, encouraged, and empowered to learn. They must feel that their culture and the experiences they bring into the school are not only tolerated but understood and respected. Are we truly doing all we can to understand the culture and respect the experiences of every student? Without a conscious effort to do so, our actions might unconsciously reflect the historical, institutionalized habits that have disadvantaged our students of color. Unconsciously, we may be conveying that differences are deficits our students bring to school.

It's not easy to engage in self-reflection about race, for me or for anyone else. I've struggled and stumbled at times over the past year when talking about race. But until we begin the discussion, until we understand our own cultural perspectives and biases, we can't begin to correct any institutional biases that we might have: biases such as those that allow for lower expectations, culturally ineffective instruction, or fewer resources at schools serving students of color. It is time we have the discussion. It is past time”

This is a rather startling pronouncement. After years of teaching multi-cultural, multi-racial, ethnically diverse classes of students while trying to show no bias based on race, creed, color or ethnicity, I now read that “an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.” In my 35 years of teaching I have never heard this as either a comment or complaint from any parent or student. Is there really verifiable research to back up this claim?

Now being somewhat agitated I continued to “Google” for more information. Was there a clear definition of “culturally relevant instruction? I found one at:

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/hanley2.htm

A Culturally Relevant Lesson for African American Students

by Mary Stone Hanley

At the center of culturally relevant instruction is the culture of the learner. To develop an instructional program that is relevant to student’s educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture. The National Commission on Teaching and American's Future (1996) proposes that Teachers must understand students and their many pathways to learning as deeply as they comprehend subjects and teaching methods. It means that teachers need to understand how students of different language backgrounds and cultures can be supported in learning academic content and how those with a range of approaches to learning can be met with a variety of teaching strategies (p. 13)

This abstract proposes that educators utilize a variety of teaching strategies to reach all learners. We know that good teaching employs a variety of methods not limited to: direct instruction, visual and aural learning, hands on activities, presentation modifications or any approach that opens the “pathways to learning”. However; this article is not about teaching strategies but about developing “an instructional program that is relevant to students’ educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture.” This proposal seems to be more appropriate for Peace Corps volunteers going to serve in a third world country rather than for this country’s public school teachers. In some cases “core beliefs and experiences of their culture” may be in opposition to the core beliefs and behaviors of our culture, especially the cultures and beliefs in countries where theocracies dominate the landscape.

Additional web exploring turned up another abstract:

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8251(199712)28%3A6%3C709%3ACRMTIA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1

Culturally Relevant Mathematics Teaching in a Mexican American Context
Eric Gutstein, Pauline Lipman, Patricia Hernandez, Rebeca de los Reyes
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 28, No. 6, Equity, Mathematics Reform, and Research: Crossing Boundaries in Search of Understanding (Dec., 1997), pp. 709-737

Abstract

This article examines mathematics instruction and its intersection with culturally relevant teaching in an elementary/middle school in a Mexican American community. The findings are based on a collaborative-research and school-change project involving university researchers, teachers, and the school's principal. On the basis of ethnographic data and an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, we propose a three-part model of culturally relevant mathematics instruction. The 3 components are (a) building on students' informal mathematical knowledge and building on students' cultural and experiential knowledge, (b) developing tools of critical mathematical thinking and critical thinking about knowledge in general, and (c) orientations to students' culture and experience.

It appears that even mathematics must be taught in a culturally relevant manner. I write “even” because I always believed the popular notion that mathematics was the universal language. From the web site:

http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/language.html

We read that: “Mathematics is the only language shared by all human beings regardless of culture, religion, or gender. Pi is still 3.14159 regardless of what country you are in. Adding up the cost of a basket full of groceries involves the same math process regardless of whether the total is expressed in dollars, rubles, or yen. With this universal language, all of us, no matter what our unit of exchange, are likely to arrive at math results the same way.

Very few people, if any, are literate in all the world's tongues—English, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and so on. But virtually all of us possess the ability to be "literate" in the shared language of math. This math literacy is called numeracy, and it is this shared language of numbers that connects us with people across continents and through time. It is what links ancient scholars and medieval merchants, astronauts and artists, peasants and presidents.”

Therefore, if mathematics is truly our universal language in that “virtually all of us possess the ability to be ‘literate’ in the shared language of math“, then what is the relevance in “teaching in the Mexican American Context?

Of course it seems not every one agrees that culturally relevant instruction has to be culturally specific. Consider the apparent one size (approach) will fit all comment of Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired):

"Black children are the proxy for what ails American education in general.
And so, as we fashion solutions which help black children,
we fashion solutions which help all children."

Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired)
Former Chairman of Committee on Education and Labor
U. S. House of Representatives

Culturally relevant instruction also has an extreme side and this radical approach can be seen in the La Raza Public Charter School in Los Angles.

Take a look at La Academia Semillas del Pueblo, a public charter school in LA.

Check out the school's purpose: (bold face added by this writer)

Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School is a kindergarten through eighth grade public school dedicated to providing urban children of immigrant native families an excellent education founded upon their own language, cultural values and global realities.

. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia_Semillas_del_Pueblo

Do you think these students begin each day with the Pledge of Allegiance? Visit the web sites to see culturally relevant instruction that seems to thumb its nose not only at American values; but at American education.

Over the years (decades) I have watched education shift from an emphasis and concern on what we teach (content) to and ever growing preoccupation on how we teach (strategies) and whom we teach (clients). Additionally, I have seen our special education classes change from classes for students with true educational handicaps to dumping grounds for behavioral problems. The very successful Mainstream Program has been bastardized to the absurd practice now known as Full Inclusion. Tracking, a concept and practice always uncomfortable for some, is now more palatable under its new name of Differentiated Instruction. What is the genesis of Culturally Relevant Instruction and where will it take education? If its element of global consideration does to education what “global” did for the U.S. economy, then we have rough times ahead. Is there a Pledge to the United Nations in our future?

No doubt everyone is concerned about the inability of some students to achieve. Current testing statistical data identifies under achieving students by their ethnicity. Using data provided by the State Dept. of Education it is easy to see that a school like Hopkins Junior High School’s proficient and highly proficient Asian population (now at almost 80%) will always secure excellent test score results. Conversely, Hopkins’ Hispanic (below 2%) students (usually labeled as chronic underachievers) are not even identified as a sub group and have virtually no impact on their test scores.

Walters Junior High School attempts to compete in this battle of the tests scores with the lowest Asian (high achievers) population (19%) and the highest Hispanic (underachievers) population (31%). Maybe it is time to think outside the box. Instead of just looking at our students in terms of ethnicity maybe it would be better to view them in terms of social class. Hopkins JHS is populated by students from Fremont’s upper middle and upper classes. Their parents have college degrees, excellent jobs, expensive homes and they have very high expectations for their children. They are the parents of theTHE MISSION ATTENDANCE AREA!

The rest of FUSD’s attendance areas are not as well off as Mission; but they are also not as bad off as our attendance area – the Kennedy Attendance Area. We are the orphan child of the district. The Kennedy attendance area has consistently gotten the short end of the stick for decades. Walters, until current administration, struggled under incompetent leadership for almost 15 years!! During that time we lost teachers, programs and students. Remember, we use to receive the Ardenwood students who now go to Thornton. And now there is the real possibility, as a result of recent FUSD Board actions, that we will lose students from yet another excellent feeder school.

When the Ardenwood students left Walters and went to Thornton the pseudo superintendent at that time directed us to work harder to attract more and better students to Walters. Are we to hear that same challenge again? Now as we cope with all the demands placed on us to achieve and compete with the other junior high schools, what will culturally relevant instruction demand of us?

What new hoops and hurdles will Walters students and staff be expected to navigate to compete in the on going educational version of “Survivor”? At the risk of offending some and stepping on the toes of others it seems that we teach at Walters with one specific deficiency that sets us apart from the other schools. It becomes more and more obvious that we have far too many parents who do not have a clue as to how to parent their children through the junior high school years. We have far too many parents who tolerate inappropriate behavior at home and then excuse that same behavior at school. These same parents have no or low expectations of their children for academic success. We have far too many students who seem to “run” the house and have no limits on television, computer and cell phone use and accountability of their time, activities and friends. Far too many of our parents can not even get their children to attend school on a regular basis. Does Walters still have the worst attendance record of all the junior high schools?

Maybe it is time for more parent directed trainings, in-services and evenings with the “experts” that delight in telling us how to teach. There must be parenting experts less nauseating than Dr. Phil. Maybe our parents should spend a day with Clay. To continue to expect more from staff and to tolerate the status quo of parent involvement and responsibility is not a formula for success.

Teachers may be forced to become culturally relevant in their instructional practices; but until more parents become relevant in their own children’s lives we are spinning our wheels. Any ideas?

The Pimp of San Francisco

Thankfully all the hubbub over gay and lesbian marriages has died down. I am not opposed to gay/lesbian marriages as I really don't care who enters into a marriage contract. Whomever someone decides to marry is their business ... not mine. However; what did annoy me when the state supreme court made their decision was the grandstanding, flamboyant, words and actions of San Francisco's sleazy mayor.

The country was treated to Mayor Newsom declaring that with respect to gay marriages -- so goes San Francisco so goes the country. Is he that stupid? Has he never visited the heart land or the bible belt? Those people find San Fransisco amusing, even entertaining ... but not a city to follow. For a man who can't keep his own pants zipped it was ludicrous for Newsom to think he could preach to the country. It seems San Francisco's Pimp Mayor thinks his championing the gay marriage cause will be his ticket to advance his political career.

Mayor Newsom needs a reality check. He is mayor of San Francisco and as such he should confine his actions and behavior to the city and citizens who elected him. The rest of us have our own clowns, both state and national with whom to contend.

LOOKING BACK … STARING FORWARD

I began teaching in California, in the Fremont Unified School District in 1974. At that time I was a Special Education Teacher working with Learning Handicapped Students. There was no collective bargaining for teachers. There were no Individualized Educational Plans for special education students or “504 plans” for regular students. Mainstreaming had not yet become popular and Prop. 13 was only an idea. I was fortunate to be working for a Principal who was not only an instructional team leader; but he was also an excellent plant manager. In other words, he not only knew what we should be teaching; but how to teach, and he also made sure we had sufficient supplies: including paper, pencils, TP and light bulbs … Thank You Mr. E !!!

In those mid 70’s years some students who were in special education classes were able to successfully return to regular education classes because we were able to remediate their learning difficulties. There were few students with severe behavior problems. This is not the situation today. Special education students seem to be career special ed. students with little chance of ever returning to regular education and students with behavior problems are in all our classes. By the end of the 70’s regular ed. teachers were teaching more and more South East Asia immigrants with limited English ability; but who had a strong desire to learn and make America their new home. We were successfully teaching this diverse population without the benefit or alleged need of CLAD training and certification.

Of course change was in the wind. Apple Computer had placed a single Apple IIe in every California school and most bit from the apple and fell under its spell. Prop. 13 was now a reality and with reduced school funding, limited resources went to buy the coveted computers and the necessary software. In many cases the need and use of computers was created after the purchases were made.

The winds of change continued to blow and blow stronger. The Leave It To Beaver neighborhood in which my school was located was also changing. We began to see more students with behavior problems. Dyslexic students were being replaced by the Hyperactive and then Attention Deficit Syndrome students. Learning Handicapped Classes were becoming the dumping ground for students with behavior problems. Students who were truly learning handicapped were now being kept in the regular classes with the idea that monitoring them while they were being mainstreamed would meet their needs. Consequently, this put added stress and work on regular teachers and students.

At this time those who should have been administering schools abdicated their power to the state legislature, the courts and other special interest groups. With this abdication came a focus on cost and efficiency. Since the Legislature has tunnel vision and only sees things in terms of numbers (votes, dollars, poll results, statistics) standardized testing became popular. Test results were all important. Over the years schools, students and teachers have had to deal with a Pandora’s Box of tests: CAP, CLAS, STAR and now CAHSEE, the high school exit exam. These tests produce numbers and it is numbers that elected officials relate to. Of course, for graduating college bound high school seniors it is the SAT that is most important and the test that they most relate to.

This preoccupation with testing has caused education to suffer. Many educators would like to see mandated testing just go away; but are powerless to effect a change. The distraction of testing consumes more and more of our instructional time. One could ask what the CTA and NEA have done about this intrusive testing and if an answer is discovered, by all means, please share it.

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Unprecedented Look at School System, begins with “The vexing decline of California’s school system – its difficulty retaining teachers, maintaining schools and helping all students succeed – has been variously blamed on Proposition 13’s tax cap and on an influx of low-income and non-English-speaking students over the past 25 years”. This sentence packs quite a punch and needs consideration.

First, California’s school system is described as “declining”. Yes, buildings need updating (modernization) and equipment needs to be replaced; but is this decline? We still have qualified and dedicated teachers and an energetic and diverse student body. Is there a decline here? However; when California’s students’ test scores are compared to other states we do show a decline. When we compare school expenditures per student on a state by state basis, we most definitely show a decline. Maybe it is true that you get what you pay for. The same legislature that wants to see excellent test results wants these results on a low budget, economy plan educational budget. Dream on !

Teacher retention is another area of concern. New teachers are subjected to a barrage of methodology courses that have little to do with the real problems of diverse student populations and the difficulties of classroom management. Veteran teachers are subjected to a mind numbing array of in service days and activities and most recently the demand to be CLAD certified. Sadly, there seems to be little concern for what we teach; but a rabid concern for how we teach. Having been educated in a Parochial School through eighth grade and then by the Jesuits in high school, college and graduate school, this preoccupation with methodology rather than course content has always puzzled and amused me.

Consider providing new teachers with the support they need so they will continue in their chosen career as teachers. Review and examine all continuing education programs that new teachers must take to keep and/or renew their credentials for not only need but appropriateness. Listen to what veteran teachers have to say about what is working and what needs change and/or improvement. Veteran teachers continue to be an ignored and untapped educational resource. Lastly, both the legislature and the courts need to back off and stop micro-managing schools. Their decisions and unfunded mandates are not always educationally sound or even possible.

Finally, there is a layer of non-teaching educational interests: School Boards, School Administrators, NEA, CTA and AFT, elected officials on the local, state and federal level and various educational advocacy groups who exert tremendous pressure on the system. All seem to have their own agenda and their agendas and their pressure do not always have positive results. It is important to remember that everything that takes place at school is secondary to students’ education. The business of education is in fact education. If everyone involved could recognize their role in the process and not interfere with the responsibilities of others, then California may see a return to its halcyon days of educational leadership rather than continually playing catch-up and trying to avoid last place.

With California’s ever increasing cost of real estate and the frequency with which California homes are bought and sold, the effects of Prop 13 have long since been mitigated. And of course, teachers have been successfully working with non English and limited English speaking students for decades. It is only recently, with the absurd demands placed on the school system by legislative and judicial know-it-all’s, that problems in teaching the English language learners have become severe. These same legislators who are elected using multi-lingual ballot information packets demand that the children of this state be tested in English only! Their motto seems to be “Don’t do as we do; but do as we say”.

So where do we go from here? Well, as yet another round of studies are done resulting in reports on the problems with California’s schools and probably offering suggestions for improvement, I will offer some suggestions and observations based on almost 35 years teaching in the system. First, and foremost, schools must be viewed as places of learning and not labs to test the latest educational and social theories. Students who are chronic behavior problems must be relocated to facilities that can deal with their special needs. Public schools are not designed to be detention facilities or mental health clinics for special needs students. The desire and need of the majority of students to learn in a safe learning environment must be supported and maintained. Return to serving real food items at lunch and immediately stop selling items more commonly sold at amusement parks. Maybe more traditional lunch items will result in a return to more traditional and acceptable student behavior not only at lunch … but all day.

Consider controls and restrictions on the use of ALL electronic devices on school grounds. Ipods, Iphones, cell phones and most other electronic devices continue to be a constant source of distraction and interruption on school grounds. Parents need to be continuously reminded that they are responsible for their student’s attire, attendance, behavior and achievement. They seem to be out of the loop.

Finally, the increasing preoccupation with cultural relevancy is undermining the effectiveness of our schools. While it may be helpful to recognize the diversity of our student population this diversity should not compromise the fact that American schools should be focusing on the English language and literature, American customs and culture and United States history. The current multi-cultural global view of our identity seems to be causing an identity crisis. We are one nation not the United Nations.

When I first started my teaching career I was fortunate to have heard a speaker identify one of education’s absurd expectations; specifically, that as educators we expect all children to be school ready at age five and then graduate at age eighteen. In spite of this expectation countless numbers of students do not meet this expectation. Today we now expect all students to be college bound after graduation from high school. Again many students are not only not college bound; but they are not even graduating from high school. The one curriculum fits all approach that we now have is cheating a significant number of our students of a meaningful education.

Seems we have a problem ………………… Can we fix it ????

DOB

June 20, 2008 ---- a blog site ---QUICKSAND is born.